Geography - Généralités Géographie

Corsica is a mountain in the sea. It represents a large variety of morphological landscapes.

With 8,722 square kilometres in area, it's the third largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily (25,000 km²) and Sardinia (24,000 km²). It measures 183 kilometres in length and 85 km in width. Closer to the Italian continent than the French continent (170 km) only 12 km separate it from Sardinia.

There are three geographical regions:

Western Corsica
It's the largest region of Corsica, going from "Ile Rousse" to Solenzara around and including the centre, the "Balagna" and the south, mostly granite, it corresponds to the crystalline Corsica. It has the highest mountain summits on the island many over 2,000 meters : Monte Cintu 2710m, Monte Rotundu 2622m, Monte D'Oru 2389m, Monte Renosu 2352m, Monte Incudine 2136m.
This spinal chord corresponds to the ancient historical Corsican name of "Pumonti".

Eastern Corsica
Essentially composed of "slate", its less steep than western Corsica and finishes at the San Petrone in the Castagnicia with 1,767m.

Cap Corsica
Narrow peninsula of 40 km which points towards the Golf of Genoa. Communication is easy thanks to the coast road and the two roads that connect the East to the West. The sea remains the main resource in this area. The slopes where transformed into terraces by man and are abandoned to the wild bush now.
We notice in spite of all this that the vineyards still surround the villages and viticulture still continues.

Castagnicia
Limited to the North by the Golo, the South by the Tavignano, it represents several mountains cut by rivers and valleys. Since the 16th century its wealth has been the chestnuts .It’s a region composed by a multitude of small villages abandoned today.

The Eastern Plain
A flat land enriched by the waterfalls and rivers flowing from the heights of Castagnicia. It offers hills costal plains and flatlands ; to the North we notice the plain of Bastia dominated by the "Casinca" and the Southern plain of Aleria. This section is adapted to agriculture since its drainage in 1944 by the Americans ( to eliminate malaria).Today it welcomes intensive agricultural exploitation ( fruits and wines, but also sea resorts tourism development which has been improving since the 80’s).

The Central Furrow
Between the slaty Corsica and granite Corsica is found a depression from the mouth of Regina to the North West and ends in Solenzara to the South-East. Its altitude is never over 600 m. It deeply links the two mountainous Corsicas, acting as a meeting point and a privileged communication means on the route of "fium'orbu" for example the contact between the granite Corsica and the slate Corsica joins again at the Sampolo level, at the boundary of gorge and of l’Inzecca. Finally it must be mentioned the 2 chalk of small size, those of Saint Florent to the N.W and especially that of Bonifacio to the South which falls in front of Sardinia with its fantastic cliffs.